June, when the bug bites For better or worse, in all sorts of places

Area statistics indicate that more people are married in June than in any other month of the year. Unfortunately, the month provides a bounty of divorces, too.

In 1988, the last year for which the state Health Department has complete statistics, 47,258 couples were married in Maryland. In June alone there were 5,186 marriages. That's about 25 percent more than the monthly average of 3,938.

In Baltimore, there were an average 612 marriage licenses issued a month in 1990. In June of last year, 749 licenses were granted, according to the city's marriage license bureau.

September runs a close second to June in marital popularity. There were 4,948 marriages recorded in the state in September of 1988.

While some couples are blissfully tying the knot in June, a significant number of others are untying it. The Health Department reports 16,764 divorces were granted in Maryland in 1988. Of that number, 1,544 of them were finalized in June, making it the third busiest month.